The watchtower: Devotion to the passion of Jesus

Guard Hour

to watch and pray with him in his agony and death. Only to Jesus, who remained God made man to make our human nature his limitations and hardships his own, is it possible to identify with others. We find it very difficult and difficult to take on the role of others, especially to take charge of his suffering. Therefore those who suffer, misunderstood or only partially understood, end up suffering alone. His lament is then a deeply human expression, not only of physical discomfort, but even more of inner solitude.

Jesus himself wanted to feel, with much humanity, this inner solitude and the need for a gentle lament, to attract the attention of those who claim to be his true friend: “So you have not been able to watch even a single hour with me? Watch and pray not to fall into temptation. The spirit is ready but the flesh is weak! " (Mt 26, 4041 Mk 14, 38 Le 22, 40)

Watch and pray a little with me! This exhortation, complaining of a certain lack of interest of men for the sufferings of His painful Passion, Jesus addressed it to many holy souls: to S. Margherita Maria Alacoque, to S. Maria Maddalena de 'Pazzi and others. He also addressed, apparently occasionally but in reality very providential, to the Servant of God Mother M. Margherita Lazzari when ..., but let's hear it from her own words:

«One of the last Fridays of Lent of the Holy Year 1933, I went to the parlor in the Monastery of the Visitation of S. Maria in Turin. That day I particularly entertained myself with the Venerable Assistant Mother, who brought me as a gift to distribute a package of sacred images, among which there was the quadrant of the Passion of Jesus, as soon as I saw him and I exclaimed: "We must find souls who make these hours! " I immediately thought of ... making pictures, finding people who, in turn, even in the fulfillment of their duty or in the effort and suffering, would bring themselves to Jesus in spirit and, considering a mystery of the Passion, they would join and offer him the whole hour with the sufferings sustained by him in the corresponding hour of His Passion ».

This clear inspiration of the Lord, already heralded veiledly by Blessed Don Filippo Rinaldi, his confessor, became his charism and resulted in the foundation of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Passion of NSGC

Mother M. Margherita Lazzari was always tireless apostle of the diffusion of the Watchtower next to the suffering Jesus. He left to his spiritual daughters the task of widening as much as possible the number of sincere friends of Jesus, capable of spending some time in prayer with him, meditating on the sufferings of His Passion and also and above all pouring out their bitterness, labors and sufferings.

The invitation is addressed to everyone, none excluded, because having all been redeemed by His Passion, everyone is called to love Jesus. In His Sacred Heart there is room for everyone!

Practice this devotion

Those who willingly intend to make this devotion their own can practice it in two ways, choosing the one that is most congenial to them:

the first way consists in dedicating two short moments of the day to the meditation of the sufferings of Jesus in His holy Passion:

in the evening, in keeping with the evening hours of Holy Thursday and nighttime on Good Friday, spent by Jesus as indicated in the mirror "Time of the Passion" (from 18 to 6 in the morning) briefly remember (according to the time available), but with real sentiment of compassion, His torments: from the detachment from the Apostles in the last supper to the betrayal of Judas (detachment from people), from the agony in the garden of olive trees to the denial of Peter (death of human sensitivity), from the institution of the Eucharist to the death sentence (total self-giving for love) ... and to offer God His Father these great sufferings, with our little daily sufferings, by reciting the Prayer below.

in the morning, in keeping with the daytime hours of Good Friday spent by Jesus until His burial, as indicated in the same mirror (from 7 am to 17 pm) remember briefly (according to the time available), but with true feeling of compassion, His torments: from His unfair trial to the preference for Barabbas (enduring injustices), from beatings to the crowning of thorns (humiliations, greatness of humility), from the ascent to Calvary to the deposition in the sepulcher (renunciations, stripping of himself), from the promise of Paradise to the good thief to death on the cross (price and reward of love). Also in the morning offer these great sufferings of Jesus to God the Father, with our little daily sufferings, reciting the Prayer below.

the second way consists in dedicating to the meditation of the sufferings of Jesus in His holy Passion one or more hours of the day (even if not exactly 2 minutes) organized as follows:

choose the time (or hours) as it is (are) indicated in the mirror "Time of the Passion", and at the beginning of it / and fix in the mind the episode lived by Jesus at that moment, meditating with heartfelt compassion on the atrocious sufferings that tormented him. You can alternate your thoughts with some ejaculations like these or similar: "Jesus humiliated for us, make us understand and practice a holy humility" "Jesus suffering for us, give us the strength to bear our sufferings for You" "Jesus who gave the life for love also for your enemies, teach us to truly love our friends and also our enemies ”., etc.

Offer to God the Father, at the end of the hour, these great sufferings of Jesus, with our small daily sufferings, by reciting the Prayer below.

The hour that should never be forgotten is that of the death of Jesus, that is 15 o'clock. In some church, on Friday, it is announced with the sound of bells.

Warnings

The hour (or hours) can (can) be changed every day of the week.

It is recommended to those who have the opportunity to spend, at least every now and then, the time (or time available) in church. However, it is enough to meditate and pray doing one's job, traveling, in moments of waiting. The most pleasing to the Lord are those passed through hardships and infirmities because they are closer to Him and more precious.